There are many plants that love sun. A great theme – plants in the shade – inspired MO Museum (Pylimo str. 17, Vilnius) garden landscaping project. See in the video report what shade-friendly plants we planted in this garden, and I brought others especially to show you. Get ideas for your shady backyard corner:
So, plants in the shade: let’s summarize what I showed in this video report. I will start with the best known ones and end with the most interesting and rare plants.
1. Light blue
Hosta – typical shade plants. Blueberries are adorned with little flowers, but let’s be honest, we don’t grow blueberries for the flowers. There are two main reasons that disarm all skeptics: the variety and hardiness of blue leaves.
Blueberry leaves are green, bluish, white-striped and bright salad green. Additionally, the leaves of some varieties are small and delicate, while those of others are powerful and thick. Some look smooth, others – wavy, still others – curly. The choice is really wide. Shade plants usually do not have large bright flowers, so variegating blueberry leaves solves many design problems in a dark corner of the plot.By the way, blueberry leaves are not only popular with farm or yard owners, but also with slugs and other slugs. However, if you choose the right varieties with hard, fleshy leaves (like ‘Halcyon’ – you’ll see this in the video report), you can be almost certain that snails won’t overpower them.
More specific varieties characterized by colored leaves – in the article “Don’t have time? Here are the plants whose colorful leaves will decorate your flower garden„.
2. Astilbe
Another large and memorable plant is astilbe (lat. Astilbe). The fluffy flowering panicles are a midsummer highlight. Plants in the shade rarely manage to please with flowers, and even with bright ones like astilbe, so it is simply impossible to pass by without noticing them. The colors of the inflorescences range from bridal white to blood red. Additionally, some varieties have an interesting shade of foliage, such as silver leaves or burgundy stems.
It is important to remember that astilbas need a sufficient amount of humidity, so these beauties may not like a dry place.
Read about astilbe here – I went to the VDU botanical garden and prepared detailed information, very interesting.
3. Hills
Forest plants often grow in the undergrowth, so holly (Convallaria majalis L.) could really decorate the shaded part of your garden. She would like to see the glittering shadows falling from the trees, just like in the forest. It flowers in May-June.
It is important to note that the hills are poisonous. For all intents and purposes, do not breed while children are very young.
4. Ferns
Speaking further about forest plants, it is necessary to mention ferns. They are rich in the variety of their leaves: you will find some perforated like feathers, and rigid ones with lively patterns (in the video report we showed the Japanese spleen fern (Athyrium niponicum) ‘Ursula’s Red’.
Amazing combinations can be created from leaf textures of different varieties. In addition, some varieties change color over the years, for example, young fronds of the scaly fern have a yellowish tint and later become rich green.
What if we added sedges and bluebells to the company of ferns? A very beautiful, delicate, even solid combination for the shade.
5. Japanese feather
Japanese plum is a plant that can bloom truly beautifully, growing even in partial shade. You will be able to enjoy their flowers a little later, in the second half of summer. But you won’t regret it: the grace and elegance of the rings shine from afar.
The Japanese plum does not do well in dry shade, so don’t plant it near a house or under a large tree, not because of the shade, but because it may not receive enough moisture. Well, if there is enough humidity, the flowers will delight you from the end of summer and throughout autumn.
Japanese anemone (Anemone An exceptional and reliable breed.
6. Astrantia
Astrantia is a wonderful plant suitable for greenery in a naturalistic style. It has excellent conditions in moist shade. If there is enough humidity, even in a sunny location, it can bloom throughout the warm season. Especially in nature gardens I came across the astrantia ‘Roma’, which blooms with pale pink flowers. Check out the backyard he created Ansis Birznieks In Latvia: the land is immersed in the shade of pine trees, and the flowers of Astrantia ‘Roma’ look wonderful there (click on the links for item OR video report).
Here are the white flowering Astrantia ‘White Giant’ selected in the MO Museum garden.
7. Winter
Vinca minor (lat. Vinca minor) is an evergreen plant, so it does not lose its leaves even in winter. It is particularly suitable for planting in public places, where you want a beautiful view to accompany you throughout the year.
The advantage of winter is that it spreads quickly, it is very easy to multiply, so it costs very little. However, keep in mind that it will also spread quickly in your garden, so I recommend separating that area from other plants (for example by planting in closed beds).
Winter can play a protective role against weeds by creating a stunningly beautiful carpet of dark green leaves that will cover the ground. Winter blooms with delicate blue flowers.
8. Epimedides
Epimedis (lat. Epimedium) is still rarely cultivated in Lithuania. It is suitable for greenery in a naturalistic style and perfectly fills the lower part of the plant composition. It blooms most beautifully in spring and thus provides excellent ground cover: just like winter, it can act as a barrier for new weeds.
Epitrees usually reach a height of 20-30 cm and over time they mature, forming entire prairies. In spring it blooms with original flowers. The plant itself is long-lived, so it will grow for many years if planted in the same place.
If you’re tired of struggling with a shade lawn, consider epitrees as a great alternative to lawns. We wrote about the shaded lawn and advice for its care in the article, click here to read.
9.Hakone
If you need a fluttering, fluttering, beautifully wavy image, Hakonechloa is just that.
Plants in the shade are more often characterized by large leaves, there are not so many bells. And here, the hakone would really decorate any vegetation, providing it with just a sufficient amount of moisture. In the garden of the MO Museum you can see the green hakone (Hakonechloa macra) up close, and in this video report I showed two varieties of hakone: striped ‘Stripe it rich’ and monochromatic with yellow-green leaves ‘Greenhills’.
Hakone trees look best planted along a path, where they hang gracefully to soften the edges. Don’t plant them one at a time: hakones planted in groups will be even more impressive.
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